Beth Am Library
LIBRARY
Congregation Beth Am has one of the finest synagogue libraries in Northern California. Started in 1959 by our congregant Richard Hoffman, our large library collection currently contains over 6,000 books covering a wide range of Judaic topics such as Bible, spirituality, history, biography, fiction, travel, cooking, art, and much more. We are especially proud of our extensive children’s collection. In addition to our circulating books, we have many reference resources covering the Bible, Talmud, Jewish encyclopedias, genealogy, Hebrew/English dictionaries and other areas. The library also has a large video collection, with over 250 titles available for checkout. Our new facility serves the entire Beth Am Congregation as well as the community-at-large.
Library Hours/Staff Hours
The library is open whenever the Temple buildings are open. Please feel free to come in and browse our collection. Make sure to sign out any books that you are borrowing. Our professional librarian, Diane Rauchwerger, is available to assist you every Sunday from 9 am to 1 pm and on Wednesday afternoons from 3 to 5 pm. In addition, library volunteers staff the library on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3 to 5 pm.
Checking Out Books / Videos
Any member of the congregation or the community-at-large may check out books on a self-service basis for a period of 3 weeks. Please follow written instructions posted in the library. Make sure to return any books that you have borrowed at the book returns located outside next to the patio door and also inside the library at the counter.
Videos may be checked out for a period of one week. Video checkout is through a staff person only. See staff hours above.
Book Searches
The Beth Am Library has a state-of-the-art Judaica Library Computer Catalog system. Books and videotapes may be searched by author, title, subject, or keyword. We also offer computer use for internet searches.
Library News
The Beth Am Library recently received a package of several educational resource materials from the Museum of Tolerance at the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. The materials, which are part of the Museum’s Tools for Tolerance program, include the following:
Books:
Justice not Vengeance, by Simon Wiesenthal
The New Lexicon of Hate: The Changing Tactics, Language and Symbols of America’s Extremists
Videos:
“The Long Way Home,” narrated by Morgan Freeman and featuring the voices of Ed Asner, Martin Landau and others
“Liberation,” narrated by Ben Kingsley, Patrick Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg and others
“Genocide,” an Academy Award-winning documentary narrated by Elizabeth Taylor and Orson Welles.
CDs:
“Racism, Mayhem and Terrorism: The Emergence of an Online Subculture of Hate”
The library is very pleased to place these items in circulation for your use.
Donations
Generous donations have helped make it possible to continue to grow our collections. For $18.00 or more, a book will be purchased and a bookplate will be included with your name and the person you are honoring or memorializing. For more information, please contact us by e-mail or phone as shown below.
New Books / Book Reviews
In future months, look here for reviews of new books in our library holdings.
Upcoming Events and Meetings
The Library Committee meets on the 4th Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the library. New members or volunteers are always welcome. Please refer to the monthly calendar to confirm.
Library Committee & Staff
Eric Bergtraun chairs the Library Committee. Our professional librarian, Diane Rauchwerger, library committee volunteers, and madrichim staff are available to assist congregants with their library needs.
Contact Us
We welcome the opportunity to provide additional information. Please
e-mail us at library@lists.betham.org or leave a message through the library voicemail at 650/493-3117 extension 220.